Jennifer Gowans couldn’t help but get emotional as she stepped up to the lectern early Friday afternoon to address the family, friends, and co-workers that had gathered in her honor.
After starting as a letter carrier 24 years ago, Gowans stepped forward Friday and took the oath of office to assume the position as Manteca’s eighth Postmaster since 1952 – making the transfer to the community from the Oakdale branch that she had overseen in the same capacity for almost a decade.
It’s a place she says she has come to love in all of her experiences with the people that she is now charged with supervising.
“What I love about this is the challenge it brings and getting a chance to be a face in the community that you’re serving,” Gowans said after taking the oath. “The people that you work with come together to form a team – a family – that strives to give the customers the best possible service.
“I’m looking forward to being a part of this community and getting to know more of the people in it.”
Turlock Postmaster and Stockton Postal Officer in Charge Steve Tomlins – who was Gowans’ immediate supervisor when she came to work for the Postal Service 24 years ago – welcomed more than two dozen people to the swearing in ceremony Friday.
The experience that Gowans brings to the position, Tomlins said, will be invaluable and only increase her ability to reach out into the community in which she is serving.
“I would say that dedication is one of the biggest things that she brings to the table,” Tomlins said. “She’s one of the most dedicated people that I know, and in this position that’s important.
“As a Postmaster you’re the local figurehead for the United States Postal Service, and I think that is a position that Jennifer will do well in while she’s here in Manteca.”
Former Manteca Postmaster Bill Bashor – who spent 17 years in the position – turned out to congratulate Gowans in her appointment and wish her well in the expanded capacity.
Not long after taking the position of Postmaster in Oakdale, Gowans said that she came to visit Manteca on a business trip and started to fall in love with the employees and the attitude they brought to work every day.
Each time that she’d return, that feeling would only grow stronger as they urged her to step in and fill the vacant position.
While she says that she’ll miss Oakdale – and the people that she has gotten to know over the years – immensely, she says she’s also eager to get to work in her new community.
“It was definitely hard to walk away from there,” she said of Oakdale. “I’m looking forward to the challenge of serving Manteca and the residents that live here.”
After starting as a letter carrier 24 years ago, Gowans stepped forward Friday and took the oath of office to assume the position as Manteca’s eighth Postmaster since 1952 – making the transfer to the community from the Oakdale branch that she had overseen in the same capacity for almost a decade.
It’s a place she says she has come to love in all of her experiences with the people that she is now charged with supervising.
“What I love about this is the challenge it brings and getting a chance to be a face in the community that you’re serving,” Gowans said after taking the oath. “The people that you work with come together to form a team – a family – that strives to give the customers the best possible service.
“I’m looking forward to being a part of this community and getting to know more of the people in it.”
Turlock Postmaster and Stockton Postal Officer in Charge Steve Tomlins – who was Gowans’ immediate supervisor when she came to work for the Postal Service 24 years ago – welcomed more than two dozen people to the swearing in ceremony Friday.
The experience that Gowans brings to the position, Tomlins said, will be invaluable and only increase her ability to reach out into the community in which she is serving.
“I would say that dedication is one of the biggest things that she brings to the table,” Tomlins said. “She’s one of the most dedicated people that I know, and in this position that’s important.
“As a Postmaster you’re the local figurehead for the United States Postal Service, and I think that is a position that Jennifer will do well in while she’s here in Manteca.”
Former Manteca Postmaster Bill Bashor – who spent 17 years in the position – turned out to congratulate Gowans in her appointment and wish her well in the expanded capacity.
Not long after taking the position of Postmaster in Oakdale, Gowans said that she came to visit Manteca on a business trip and started to fall in love with the employees and the attitude they brought to work every day.
Each time that she’d return, that feeling would only grow stronger as they urged her to step in and fill the vacant position.
While she says that she’ll miss Oakdale – and the people that she has gotten to know over the years – immensely, she says she’s also eager to get to work in her new community.
“It was definitely hard to walk away from there,” she said of Oakdale. “I’m looking forward to the challenge of serving Manteca and the residents that live here.”
